Lie by Moonlight Read Online Free PDF Page A

study the scene in the distance.
    “I assume the fire is your work, ladies?” he asked.
    He sounded thoughtful, as if he were assessing and analyzing some new, extremely interesting discovery that had heretofore escaped his attention.
    “Phoebe and Miss Glade mixed the formula for the incendiary devices,” Hannah said. “Edwina, Theodora and I sewed the fuses. They had to be very long and thin so they would not be noticed running along the edge of the wall behind the furniture.”
    “And they had to be fashioned of material that would not burn either too quickly or too slowly,” Theodora added.
    “We ran several experiments,” Edwina put in.
    “Miss Glade hid the devices and strung the fuses in the rooms where we knew that the men from London would likely take their cigars and port after dinner,” Hannah explained.
    “Miss Glade lit the fuses,” Phoebe concluded. “It all went just as we had planned.” She paused and turned back to view the flames in the distance. “Except that we did not realize that the devices would ignite such a huge blaze.”
    “Impressive, indeed,” the stranger said dryly. “Well, I have only myself to blame for this miscalculation. There were rumors in the village that there was some sort of girls’ boarding school at the castle but I thought it was merely a false story that had been spread around the neighborhood to conceal whatever was really going on there.”
    He handed the reins back to Edwina and Phoebe.
    Concordia was intensely conscious of him crowded behind her in what could only be described as an extremely intimate manner. The immediate danger was past. It was time to regain control of the situation.
    “We are indebted to you for your assistance, sir, but I must insist that you tell us who you are.”
    “My name is Ambrose Wells.”
    “I want more than a name, Mr. Wells,” she said quietly.
    He kept his gaze on the fire. “I am the man whose carefully crafted plans have just been cast into complete disarray by you and your students.”
    “Explain yourself, sir.”
    “Will you oblige me with your name and the names of the young ladies first? I believe I deserve a proper introduction after what we have just been through together.”
    She felt herself grow very warm at the implication that she had been rude. Ambrose Wells had been exceedingly helpful this evening, she reminded herself. The least she could do now was treat him with a modicum of civility.
    “Yes, of course,” she said, softening her voice. “I am Concordia Glade. I was hired to teach these young ladies. Edwina and Theodora Cooper, Hannah Radburn and Phoebe Leyland.”
    “Ladies.” Ambrose inclined his head in a gallant acknowledgment of the introduction.
    The girls murmured polite responses. Good manners that had been learned young rarely failed, even in a crisis, Concordia mused.
    “Now, may I ask why you happened to be so conveniently at hand to aid us in our escape?” she asked.
    He tightened the reins, turned Blotchy’s head away from the view of the burning castle and urged the horse forward.
    “The answer to your question is rather complicated, Miss Glade. I think it had better wait until we have settled into more comfortable circumstances. Your students are clearly an intrepid lot, but I suspect that they have had enough excitement for one evening. They will soon be exhausted. I suggest we find lodging for what remains of the night.”
    “Do you think it safe to put up at an inn?” Concordia asked.
    “Yes.”
    She frowned. “No offense, but I do not agree with your opinion on the matter, sir. My plan was to ride as far as possible before dawn, keeping away from the main road. I intended for us to eventually stop in some concealed place—a stand of trees, perhaps—to rest and eat the food we brought with us.”
    “Did you? That sounds extraordinarily uncomfortable to me. Personally, I think a bed and a meal at an inn would be far more pleasant.”
    It was becoming clearer by the